The Gay Village at Church and Wellesley streets in Toronto used to be the “centre of the universe.” Or at least that’s what Michael Armstrong and his friends in their gay and lesbian science fiction group called it when they gathered there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

On a coolish July Monday a quarter-century later, the main drag is awash in rainbows — multicoloured crosswalks and flags on nearly every lamppost. Gay couples walk by, hand in hand, but so do straight women and men. Some are pushing baby carriages — a lot more than a decade ago.

Rents are shooting up, along with restaurant prices. Cranes tower over the street, working on yet another condo, all part of the area’s gentrification that is causing people to leave.

All neighbourhoods change with time. But “gayborhoods” in North America appear to be undergoing a “straightening,” at least according to one of the largest studies of sexuality in the United States, led by a University of British Columbia sociologist — a fact that is at once indicative of society’s changing mores but also raises questions about the future significance of these enclaves to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

Mr. Armstrong agrees.

“Because there’s more acceptance among the population of Toronto in general, a lot of young gay men are splitting out away from here,” he said. “There are clubs further out east and west and north, all over the place.”

Fewer same-sex couples live in historically gay neighbourhoods compared to 10 years ago, confirms Amin Ghaziani in his new book There Goes the Gayborhood?, which will be published next month by Princeton University Press.

According to U.S. Census data, the number of gay men living in these enclaves fell by 8% in the past 10 years, while the number of lesbians dropped by 13%, he writes.

“For gay people, they no longer feel like they need a safe space because they feel safe anywhere,” said Prof. Ghaziani, who identifies as a gay man.

“At the same time, as the stigma against homosexuality eases, more straight people feel comfortable moving into these areas, more so than they have in the past when they have perceived these populations as more stigmatized than they do now.”

His six-year study of “gaybourhoods” began with casual observations while he was living in Chicago’s “Boystown” district in 1999-2009.

“You’d see more straight couples holding hands and remark on more and more baby carriages,” he said. “That becomes a symbol of change.”

Other signs include gay-identified businesses turning into places like nail salons, which typically cater to straight women. There were also more straight people at gay bars.

The sociologist analyzed 617 newspaper articles on 27 gay neighbourhoods since the 1970s, including the Castro District in San Francisco and Davie Village in Vancouver. He interviewed more than 125 business owners, and LGBT and straight residents in Boystown. He also relied on U.S. Census data analyzed by the University of Washington last year to track the inflow and outflow of LGBT-identified people in these areas over time.

His LGBT interviewees said they left because they no longer felt “confined” to that neighbourhood, while the “forces of gentrification,” in some cases, saw them seek more affordable housing elsewhere.

The straight people said they loved the diversity and inclusiveness of a gay neighbourhood, that it was emblematic of their social values. It was often an “economic investment,” thanks, in part, to the gentrification. Families saw gay neighbourhoods as a safe place to raise children — a massive change from the days when society at large equated gay men with pedophiles.

“In the 1970s, a lot of gay people found them to be safe spaces,” Prof. Ghaziani said. “Now straight women see it as a place they feel they can escape the male gaze or harassment from straight men.”

While some claim these changes could put “gayborhoods” at risk, his book “takes issue with the popular anxiety” they are disappearing. They may be changing, he says, but won’t disappear because communities take care to protect their heritage. Last year, for example, the city of Vancouver installed permanent rainbow crosswalks. Toronto followed suit this year to coincide with WorldPride and Church/Wellesley neighbourhood also got new hydro pole banners. These neighbourhoods become “destinations” for tourists, and thus economic engines for the city.

There’s also a “vicarious citizenship” that emerges in gay neighbourhoods when people committed to the community move elsewhere, says a study published in the American Sociological Association’s City & Community journal last week.

Mr. Armstrong would agree. Although he has moved across town to Parkdale in west Toronto, he still frequents the village and is concerned about its well-being.

Back on Church Street, Amber Bala stops pushing her orange stroller with 10-month-old son Everett and points to a highrise building directly to the east.

“He’s the only baby in our building. I know for sure because everyone tells me,” she said.

“We are comfortable — he gets the extra attention, we love it, he loves it. We don’t feel threatened in any way, shape or form. It’s just a regular neighbourhood, it’s where we live.”

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.